Brittney Yevette Griner was born on October 18, 1990, and is a professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association. She earned two gold Olympic basketball medals with the American women’s national team and has appeared in six WNBA All-Star games.
Griner was named the best high school women’s basketball player in the USA by Rivals.com in 2009. She was named to the NBA All-American team in 2009. She was a Baylor Lady Bears college basketball player in Waco, Texas.
She had a breakout senior season in 2012, winning the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete, being named AP Player of the Year, Most Outstanding Final Four Player, and leading Baylor to the National Championship. Griner is the first NCAA player to have 2,000 points and 500 shot blocks.
Brittney Griner Parents
Griner was born in Houston on October 18, 1990, to Sandra and Raymond Griner, a two-tour Vietnam War veteran and former Harris County deputy sheriff. Her three older sisters and brothers are D, Shkera, and Pier.
Brittney Griner Personal Life
In a conversation with SI.com on February 11, 2013, Griner revealed her sexual orientation as a lesbian. She admitted to experiencing bullying when she was younger and said she is really passionate about working with kids to raise awareness of bullying, especially bullying of LGBT people.
Griner had opened up to her parents about her sexual orientation in high school, however her father did not accept it kindly, compelling her to spend her senior year living with an assistant coach.
Brittney Griner Wife
Griner proposed to Cherelle Watson in August of 2018, and the couple married in June of 2019. Cherelle Griner afterwards replaced Watson as her surname.
Detention in Russia
Russian customs officers seized and arrested Griner on smuggling charges on February 17, 2022 after discovering cartridges in her luggage that contained less than a gram of medically authorized hash oil. During the WNBA off-season, she had been playing basketball with the Russian Premier League.
Her trial began on July 1, after she admitted guilt and was subsequently sentenced to nine years in jail. Griner was transferred to Russia’s IK-2 prison camp in November 2022. She was “wrongfully held,” according to officials in the United States. On December 8, Griner was released in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
After being released from a 10-month incarceration in Russia, Brittney Griner left the Texas army facility where she was being evaluated physically and mentally.
After US officials negotiated her parole last week in a prisoner exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the basketball star had been residing at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Brittney Griner Height
One of the tallest female athletes in the sport, Brittney reaches an astounding 6 feet 9 inches tall. She is blessed to be so tall since it makes her a fantastic rebounder and blocker.
Although Griner may be one of the WNBA’s physically tallest player, she is not the tallest overall. Knowing that two players are even taller than Griner is startling.
Margo Dyek, who is the tallest player in the WNBA at 7 feet 2 inches, is followed in height by Bernadett Hatar, who measures just under 7 feet at 6 feet 11 inches. Griner is only 4 inches short of the WNBA’s tallest player.
Brittney Griner Net Worth
Celebrity Net Worth estimates the WNBA star’s net worth to be $5 million.
Griner’s most recent WNBA season with the Phoenix Mercury netted her a $227,000 paycheck. According to AS, this is the highest salary for a female professional basketball player in the United States.
According to a piece in The Daily Mail in October of this year, Griner made about $1.5 million while playing in Russia, which is six times her WNBA salary with the Phoenix Mercury. In 2014, the professional also spent three months playing for $600,000 in China.
When Griner received a $1 million contract in 2013, she also made history as Nike’s first openly lesbian athlete.
